Keeping Felines Out of Your Garden
Follow these easy tips and solutions, that can help you prevent the entry of cats in your garden.
Ultrasonic Cat Repellents
It is a device that takes the help of high frequency sounds to deter cats from entering a particular area. The sound emitted by the device is inaudible to humans, but quite uncomfortable for cats. The device emits ultrasonic sounds, whenever a cat happens to walk or move past it. However, some cats, especially those having hearing problems can be immune to this device. Moreover, it may take a little bit of time for this method to be fully effective.
Electric Fence
An electric fence is another way to keep cats away from the yard and the garden. However, the voltage used should be low enough to not cause any harm to cats, or any other animals that come in contact with the fence. So, adequate care should be taken while using electric fence for deterring cats.
A Squirt Gun
This is perhaps one of the simplest ways to keep cats out of your garden. We all know that cats dislike to be squirted with water. So, a squirt gun or a motion-sensing sprinkler system can work well, though it is a bit expensive. The motion-sensing sprinkler can squirt water not only on the cats, but on anyone who enters the particular area. This is the main disadvantage of this device.
Natural Repellents
There are some environment-friendly products that can prevent cats from entering your garden. Cats have a strong sense of smell, and they hate certain scents in particular. For example, the scent of citrus fruits repels cats. So, you can use orange or lime peel around your garden to keep cats away from it. You can use this method to keep cats away from your indoor plants as well. Some other natural cat repellents that can be sprinkled around the perimeter of your garden are, cayenne pepper, ginger, coffee ground, and blood meal.
Even citronella oil, lemon oil, lemon grass oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil, orange oil, and eucalyptus oil can be used for this purpose. In addition to these, you can grow cat-repelling plants in your garden. For example, plants like coleus canina if planted around the perimeter of your garden, can act as an effective repellent.
Similarly, you can plant lavender, citronella, lemon, and thyme in your garden. You can also opt for growing cacti or a bed of prickly roses on the perimeter of your garden. Rue is another plant, which repels cats. But this plant can be toxic to cats, if they happen to ingest its parts. So, it is not a very safe option.
Be sure to avoid any product or strategy that can harm cats and other animals. Nowadays, a great many cat repellents are commercially available. But before using them, make sure that they are eco-friendly and non-toxic. For example, many people use moth balls for this purpose without knowing that they are toxic, and they can repel some beneficial insects like ladybugs. So, before using a particular product or strategy, it is very important to find out whether it is safe and eco-friendly.
